Ministry of Defence
PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN DEFENCE SECTOR
The percentage of women in Armed Forces is as under:
|
|
Army

|
|
Officers 
|
|
3.97%
|
|
Officers 
|
|
21.25 %
|
|
MNS Officers
|
|
100%
|
|
JCO/OR
|
|
0.01%
|
|
Navy
|
|
Officers
|
|
About 6%
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|
Air Force

|
|
Officers 
|
|
13.69%
|
|
Year
|
|
Intake
|
|
Medical Officers
|
|
AMC
|
|
ADC
|
|
MNS
|
|
2018
|
|
75
|
|
169
|
|
20
|
|
571
|
|
2019
|
|
80
|
|
102
|
|
34
|
|
180
|
|
2020
|
|
72
|
|
130
|
|
26
|
|
201
|
|
2021
|
|
75
|
|
51
|
|
05
|
|
205
|
|
2022
|
|
75
|
|
Recruitment Process not completed
|
|
Recruiting Year
|
|
Intake
|
|
2019-20
|
|
100
|
|
2020-21
|
|
Recruitment was suspended due to COVID-19
|
|
2021-22
|
|
2022-23
|
|
100 
Following are the details of seats fixed for female candidates in Defence institutions like NDA, IMA and others, institution-wise;
|
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Institutions
|
|
Vacancies per year 
|
|
Remarks
|
|
NDA
|
|
38 
|
|
These vacancies are not fixed and are based on requirement of respective Services.
|
|
OTA
|
|
80
|
|
IMA
|
|
20 
|
|
AFMC Pune
|
|
30
|
|
College of Nursing 
|
|
220
No post is vacant for women in Indian Army. Sanctioned posts in Indian Navy and Indian Air Force are gender neutral.
Government has taken number of steps to increase women participation in the Defence sector. These include:
Army
Combat employment philosophy of women in the Armed Forces is a continuously evolving process and regularly reviewed by the Indian Army. At present, the women are being commissioned in Indian Army in ten Streams viz. Corps of Engineers, Corps of Signals, Army Air Defence, Army Service Corps, Army Ordnance Corps, Corp of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers, Army Aviation Corps, Intelligence Corps, Judge Advocate General Branch and Army Education Corps in addition to the Armed Forces Medical Services as Doctors and Military Nurses which is a women only entry. New Avenues such as grant of permanent commission to SSC women officers, induction of women cadets in NDA, recruitment of Women as Provost JCOs/OR.
Navy
The induction of women as officers in the Indian Navy commenced in the year 1991. Since then the Indian Navy has gradually opened all branches to women officers including induction through NDA. Further, for the first time women are also being recruited for sailors’ entries under the Agnipath Scheme w.e.f. 2022 and 20% vacancies are reserved for women.
Air Force
Officers recruitment in the IAF is gender neutral. Women officers are inducted in all the branches and streams of IAF. Opportunities for a career in IAF service are widely publicized through print/ electronic media and special publicity drives. An opening has also been provided through NCC Special Entry for flying SSC  from July 2017 onwards. The experimental scheme to induct women officers in all combat roles, initiated by the IAF in 2015 has now been regularised into a permanent scheme. Such gender neutral approach is facilitating the employment of women officers of IAF in all combat roles without any restrictions.
No study has been undertaken regarding the low participation of women as there has been a steady growth in the induction of women in the armed forces.
This information was given by Raksha Rajya Mantri Shri Ajay Bhatt in a written reply to Shri N Reddeppa and others in Lok Sabha today.